EPA Denies Ethanol Waiver Request

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has denied requests for a waiver of the ethanol mandate component of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) after record-setting drought this summer pushed up corn prices.

EPA says waiving the ethanol mandate would only reduce corn prices by 1% and therefore would provide livestock producers little relief from high feed costs little relief. EPA's air chief, Gina McCarthy, said that "our extensive analysis makes clear that congressional requirements for a waiver have not been met and that waiving the RFS will have little, if any, impact."

EPA had missed its deadline for delivering a decision on the mandate by three days, marking the second time EPA has considered and rejected an RFS waiver request. EPA made its decision in conjunction with the Obama administration.

Statements from various agriculture groups following the announcements:

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) expressed disappointment after the announcement. "In light of the most widespread drought to face the country in more than 50 years, the refusal to grant this waiver is a blatant example of the flawed policy of the RFS," said NCBA President J.D. Alexander, a cattle feeder from Pilger, Neb. "The artificial support for corn ethanol provided for by the RFS is only making the situation worse for cattlemen and women by driving up feed costs."

"The ethanol industry plays a pivotal role in job creation throughout the country supporting over 400,000 jobs nationwide. This includes many in ethanol plants in rural America. The RFS advances the use of domestically produced renewable fuels, encourages new technologies and enhances U.S. energy independence."

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Who ever thought the EPA and corn growers would get in bed together and who ever thought that rural Iowa would vote in a radical environmentalist with a super liberal agenda?

Anonymous11/19/2012 06:33 AM

You have to hand it to the corn growers for convincing the EPA to keep the RFS going and not allowing a waiver. That is like asking a fox how the hen house is going. Ethanol is the most inefficient fuel ever created. It takes from the food and feed supply and has proven to cause more environmental harm than it saves. Where are the Dairy, Pork, Poultry, and Livestock organizations? Corn growers have the highest standard of living by far while all of animal agriculture is struggling to survive. The RFS not only needs to be waived, it needs to be stopped forever. To see who Lisa Jackson of the EPA is, pull up her name on U-Tube. You will be impressed.